sparks illuminate us
by siofrajones
Summary: Marco is pretty sure he's not suppose to invite a girl out on a date after running into her on the street and helping her carry all her things to her ship, but she is interesting. AU. Fem!Ace.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

* * *

"Sorry!" The girl says shifting the load in her arms until she can just barely peer over the top of it. "I'm so sorry, are you alright?"

Marco grins, more smirk then anything, "I'm fine. Do you need some help with that?"

"Oh, please? There's a small ship in the harbor, I promised that I would deliver it to the next island over tomorrow," She smiles as Marco slips half of her load into his grasp. "I'm Ann, Portgas D Ann."

"Marco. No fancy last names or initials."

Ann grins, "Thanks for the help then, Marco of the no last names or initials. This is mine."

It's a tiny slip of a ship, more like those boards he's seen used to ride the waves with an even smaller lean to under which Ann stacks the fabric, draping a piece of waterproof cloth over the opening to protect it all from weather.

"Thanks, it would have taken hours to get here without your help."

"My pleasure. Are you sure your little boat will hold up for delivery tomorrow?"

Ann nods, "It'll hold. One of my dad's friends made it special for me," She gestures to his chest, "Whitebeard pirate?"

"First Division Commander," Marco agrees.

"Oh, that Marco. The Phoenix Marco, sorry, I don't deal much with pirates so I don't always recognize. I won't be here much longer, I didn't know this island was under your fleet's protection."

Marco smiles and Ann pauses, "You're rambling."

"Sorry."

"It's fine. Are you planning to cause any issues? Raid and pillage? Steal anything?" Marco asks, watching Ann relax again. "Because as long as you behave, you're fine, you're just a normal citizen of Blue."

"Thanks, I've been kicked off a couple islands that belonged to Kaido and Big Mom because I have a devil's fruit. It'll nice to stay the night in an inn that I've already paid for. So, thanks again."

Watching her walk away, Marco feels the longing to talk to her more, to see her smile and hear her laugh again, and before he makes a conscious choice, he's already hurrying to catch up with her.

"Would you like to join me for dinner?"

"Now why would I agree to that, Phoenix Marco?" Ann teases, eyes glittering with mirth. "I have a perfectly good meal waiting at my inn for me."

Marco smiles, "Just Marco. And who doesn't enjoy company for dinner?"

Ann studies him for a long minute, her hands on her hips and her eyes watching him with the same intensity that Marco is use to seeing on Oyaji when he has done something questionable on a mission. She drops her hands with a defeated sigh.

"Alright, Marco, I suppose I can join you for dinner. Just this once!"

Marco grins, heading towards one of the nicer restaurants on the island, not one that needed a reservation, but nicer then the bar by the docks or the inn that Ann was staying in. Ann keeps up with him, talking excitedly about the island that she had been on before this and the strange creatures that she had seen on it when she had been exploring.

He's been to the island, it's one of the more popular, abandoned one that they use for parties, but it's interesting hearing about it from someone who came just to explore. She talks about everything she saw like it was a treasure and like each step was an adventure.

"Wow," Ann mutters, glancing at the menu. "I...I am probably gonna eat like half the menu, if not the whole menu."

"Go ahead," Marco whispers back, smiling at the look she sends him. "Every D I have ever met has eaten more in one sitting then I can in a day."

Ann studies him for a moment longer, as if making sure, before returning to her menu. Marco wonders what she sees in that moment, but ducks his head to study his own menu and consider his options. He doesn't eat as much as a D, but he's spent a lot of time shifting and that takes more energy then he's use to using, and he ends up ordering a quarter of the menu to Anne's whole menu.

"So what do you do?" Marco asks curiously after their orders have been taken and the waitress has run to the kitchens like marines are on her tail. "Other than delivering fabric?"

"Dad's made a lot of money in the shipping industry," Ann explains nervously, like Marco will think differently of her now, "So I don't really have to work, but I love exploring, so I meet up with Dad's ship every few months and do odd jobs for something to do, but I don't have to do anything."

Marco nods, "Are you going to take over?"

"No. I have my own thing to do," Ann smiles vaguely, not bothering to explain, "But Dad's set up a contest to see who will take his job when he's ready to retire, who knows when that'll be of course. If no one wins before he dies, I'm to hold it in trust."

"That's rather morbid."

Ann shrugs as the first plates start to trickle out the kitchen, "Dad says that death is a natural part of life, he almost died before I was born, you see, so he's strange when it comes to mentions of his death. What about you?"

"I'm the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard fleet," Marco shrugs at Ann's snort of laughter. "I'll take over as captain when Oyaji dies, but there's not really much to explain. Everyone thinks it's all fighting and treasure, when I spend most of my time on paperwork."

"You have ruined the magic," Ann declares dramatically, spoon clutched to her chest and food stuck to the corner of her mouth. "The romance, the drama, all soiled by the truth of," She shudders. "Paperwork."

Marco laughs and Ann looks pleased with herself, returning her meal and devouring it with the speed of a woman starving. It's disgusting, but not something that Marco hasn't seen before, what with Roger stopping by to challenge Oyaji to fights and then eating and drinking long into the night. Ann is cuter then Roger too, which helps.

"So, are you going to tell me why you asked me to dinner?" Ann asks as Marco walks her to her inn for the night. "Because I don't think most people meet strangers and invite them to dinner."

"Are you saying you aren't invited to dinner often?"

Ann glances at him from the corner of her eye, "Most people are off put by the sheer amount of food that I can put away."

"Maybe I just wanted to invite a cute girl to dinner," Marco counters, smirking as she stumbles. "So I did."

"I'm not cute," Ann mutters, cheeks flushed red and literal flames tangling in the ends of her hair. "I'm not."

And Marco, if he wasn't before, is smitten. Pretty people with fire logica is a type and it's his type. Not to mention she's pretty interesting, and if pretty people with fire logica is Marco's type, the secondary portion of that is interesting.

"I think you're pretty cute," Marco adds.

Ann sputters, cheeks still red and flames still in her hair, "Wha- buh- huh?"

"I think you're pretty cute," Marco repeats. "Would you like to join me for breakfast?"

"You want to eat another meal with me? After seeing what a disaster I was during this one?"

"Wouldn't have asked if I hadn't meant it."

Marco is going to be teased about this by his siblings, there's no way that at least one of them missed seeing him helping Ann or eating with her or escorting her to the inn. He might as well enjoy himself if he's not going to be able to escape.

"Seven," Ann says finally, "I'll be here, tomorrow morning at seven. See you then?"

"Tomorrow at seven," Marco repeats with a grin.

Ann bites her bottom lip for a moment, watching him with the kind of intent that he can't quite figure out what it means, before darting forward to press a kiss to his cheek, "Good night."

"Good night," She nods, waving as she closes the door to the inn behind her and Marco raises a hand to his cheek.

"What was that?" Thatch sputters, Marco turns to face his brother, "What? That was- What?"

Marco grins, "You act like I haven't kissed someone before."

"That wasn't a kiss! That was we went on a date, probably a first date, and I want to let you know that I'm really interested in you! Who was that?"

"My date for breakfast tomorrow," Thatch turns the most interesting colors sometimes, it almost makes up for his personality. "I'm going to be heading back now, I have to be up early to meet her."

Thatch launches himself at Marco's back before he's even made it to the end of the street, arms wrapping around his neck and legs gripping his waist, "I've caught you now, give me real answers, Marco!"

"Answers?" Izo asks, blinking at them both curiously, bags hanging from his wrists. "What are you doing?"

"Marco had a date! He had a date with a girl and he said he has another one tomorrow!"

"Marco?"

Marco sighs, "I had a date, we went out to dinner after I helped her take some things to her ship, then I walked her to her inn and asked her out to breakfast."

"She kissed his cheek!"

Izo raises an eyebrow, "That doesn't mean much, Thatch."

Thatch whines, "You didn't see it! It wasn't just like the ones you give when you feel obligated, you know? It was one of the ones you give when you're actually interested but feel it's too early to kiss them on the mouth."

"Seriously, I have to get to bed or I'm going to miss my plans," Marco states, watching both his brothers with narrowed eyes. "So either shut up and let me return to the ship or argue and let me return to the ship."

* * *

Ann is already outside by the time Marco makes to their meeting place, her hat resting on her head and her yellow shirt tucked into the waistband of her shorts.

"I'm not late, am I?" He asks, checking his watch. "I had to try and avoid my brothers, they wanted to come along."

"Are siblings always like that?" Ann asks, falling into step with him, arms behind her back.

Marco grins, "Mine are. They're nosy and like to know everything going on in my life, but I wouldn't trade them."

"That sounds nice. I don't have any siblings and both of my parents were only children, so I don't have any cousins either," Ann explains, "Just me, Dad, and his best friend."

"You can have one, Oyaji wouldn't mind too much if I gave one away."

Ann giggles, "I'm sure he would. So, where are we going?"

"This is it," Marco nods to the simple wood door before them. "I set a notice ahead so that it would be done a little sooner then dinner was," Ann flushes. "I hope that's alright?"

"It's fine, I have to head out by ten if I want the order to arrive on time."

Talking to Ann while there's food on the table is hit or miss, sometimes she answers and sometimes she doesn't hear him, but she is interested in what he does say and she hears, she's just easily distracted by food. A trait, no doubt, that can be traced by to the single letter that makes up her middle name.

"I have come up with a list," Ann states as they head back to the inn for her bag. "About why I can't be cute."

"Okay. Hit me."

"I have freckles."

Marco frowns at her, "Freckles are very cute. Don't look at me, it's a law, I don't make them."

"I eat like that," She accompanies the statement with a gesture that Marco assumes is suppose to represent how she shovels food into her mouth. "And I am really rude when I'm eating."

"I still think you're cute, even after you ate like that twice in front of me and I have many siblings. Most of them aren't morning people and won't hear anything I say to them at breakfast no matter how many attempts I make, you did much better then them," Marco returns.

Ann pouts, "Just, just don't move while I grab my stuff."

Marco grins, "And you pout cutely too."

"UGH!"

She slams the door behind her and Marco laughs, leaning against one of the pillars on the porch, arms crossing over his chest. This is more fun then he's had since the first time that Thatch had tricked him into participating in a prank, because Marco thinks Ann is cute, no matter what she says. At least so far.

Ann slams back out the inn with a bag over her shoulder, "I hate staying in one place."

"You're talking to the man who is incharge of one of the largest pirate fleets in the world, I'm lucky to stay in the same section of the territory for a week at a time."

"My dad hates everyone that has ever tried to get close to me."

Marco grins, feeling rather like he's won something, "Are you trying to convince me that I shouldn't ask for your transponder number?"

"No!" Ann answers just a touch too fast. "I mean." She stops before her ship, shoving a scrap of paper at him. "Just a warning."

"I'll call," He promises. "I might not get many chances, but I'll call you."

Ann stares at him for a long moment, just like she had the night before, her gaze searching before she grabs the collar of his shirt and drags him down to her height, kissing him soundly.

"Bye!" She jumps onto her ship and fire burns at her feet, sending her off like a rocket as Marco watches.

He grins, mouth still tingling and number in his hand as he turns to find Izo watching him, eyebrow looking ready to vanish into his hairline.

"What?" Marco asks resigned.

"A pretty, interesting girl with a fire logica, I see."

Marco smirks, "I do have a type."

"Of course you do," Izo mutters, but his eyebrow drops back down to it's normal spot on his face and Marco counts that as a win.

* * *

"Hello?" Ann's voice is thick with sleep and the snail is blinking slowly, tiredly up at him. "Who?"

"Should I call back later?" Marco asks a hint of humor in his voice as the snail blinks twice and a smile spreads slowly across it's face.

"Marco!" She says brightly. "I thought you said it might be a while, it's only been two days since I saw you."

He smiles, "Well, I got some free time," Izo cleared his schedule and kicked him into his room and demanded he called Ann, same thing. "Where are you now?"

"Very edge of your territory, Dad's going to sail close to here and I'm going to catch up with him for a bit before trying to track down my dad's former apprentice for a bit."

"Former apprentice?"

The transponder nods, "Yeah, he's like my big brother. When he finished learning under Dad he set off on his own and is doing well for himself, but I miss him and try to see him at least every few months."

"And you said you didn't have any siblings."

"He doesn't count, he's as likely to give me a lecture for talking to strange men as he is to shove enough booze at me to see what happens to my fire when I get drunk."

Marco laughs, "And what does happen to it when you get drunk?"

"It makes shapes, last time I was pretty drunk I had a whole pod of sea kings swimming around the beach. What about you, you're a zoan, right? What happens to you when you get drunk?"

"I can't. The healing ability heals the intoxication before I get to enjoy it."

Ann yawns, "That sucks. How's the paperwork?"

"Piling up," Marco admits glancing to where the newest pile of it has eaten the corner of his desk. "How's travelling?"

"It too has it's downfall, which is paperwork. Not as much as I'm sure you have," Ann grins. "But enough to make a girl wish that she wasn't sailing the ocean blue."

Marco snorts, "I think that people who don't sail have even more paperwork."

"Well there goes another dream, shattered. I suppose there is still hermitage on a deserted island. That can't have paperwork, can it?"

"I don't know, it is a hermitage, we can't exactly go and ask a hermit, now can we?"

There's a pout on Ann's face, the snail doesn't do it justice, but Marco smiles at the memory of it, "You're ruining all my fun," She does something that doesn't translate, probably rubbing at her face, "What time is it?"

"Almost ten," Marco answers with a sigh. "I have to go in a moment, there's a meeting that I have to go to."

"Boo!" She laughs, "Well, I have to hurry, dad should be passing by soon and I have to catch him before he starts to panic about where I am and comes looking for me. Call me later?"

Marco smirks, "Yeah. Have fun with your dad."

"Have a good meeting," She shoots back before cutting the connection.

Marco leans back in his seat and smiles to himself. It's nice, talking to someone without the worry that saying the wrong thing or it ending poorly will affect the treaties put in place by the crews.

Ann is nice, nicer than the last few people that he had carried on with, and she's far more understanding.

"Yo, are you coming?" Haruta asks, leaning in through the doorway, "We're about ready to start, unless you want to take your sweet ass time."

Marco rolls his eyes and scoots his chair out, "One day, I'm going to wash your mouth out with soap and watch you try to talk around the soap bubbles."

"You have to catch me first!" Haruta shouts over her shoulder, taking off with a speed that put most the crew to shame, "Hurry up loser or people are going to start listening to Thatch's story about you mooning over a girl."

Marco slams one hand onto the back of Thatch's chair the moment that he's standing behind his brother, eyes glittering darkly, "What's this about me mooning over a girl, Thatch?"

"I didn't say anything it was Izo!" Thatch shouts, ducking in his chair. "I swear."

"Really, because I was told that it was you and you don't look anything like Izo," Marco continues, ignoring the looks that he's getting from the rest of the commanders and Whitebeard. "Thatch?"

Thatch winces, "So I might have mentioned your date."

"Might have?"

"So I talked about your date and then Jiro might have said he saw you walking with a girl! It was a small island, Marco, we were going to see you!"

Marco frowns down at him before directing his gaze to the rest of the room, "I hope you will understand that I'm rather reluctant to talk about my dates, two, that I went on and the girl that they were with."

"Did she not want to go out with you after that?" Juzo asks.

Izo snorts, "I'm sorry, I can't," He starts to laugh. "She kissed him after giving him the number for her transponder and asking him to call. I think she likes him."

"Thank you, Izo," Marco says drolly, taking his seat, "Now, if we could conduct this meeting without interruption?"

* * *

Ann flips Striker over the waves, laughing brightly as her father waves excitedly from the deck of the Oro Jackson, throwing her down a rope to tie her ship up to. She scrambles up it the moment her ship's secure.

"Ann!" Roger shouts, wrapping her up in a hug and swinging her around. "You've gotten tanner! How are you?"

"I'm fine, dad. How are you? I saw that you took down Shiki again, is he ever going to learn?" Ann returns just as excited. "Is your hair getting more gray?"

Roger laughs, holding her out at arms length to get a look at her, "Well, I suppose you aren't hurt..."

"I'm fine, dad, don't worry so much," Ace insists, her smile bright. "Where's Uncle Ray?"

"Right here, brat," Rayleigh answers, joining them with a grin.

"Uncle Ray!" She laughs, launching herself at him and hugging him tightly. "How are you?"

Rayleigh pats her back, "I'm fine, you little brat. Better than your old man, he spent the last week worried that you had gotten lost and couldn't find the meet up. 'What if she can't travel?' 'What if she forgot where we were going to meet up?'"

"I couldn't forget, I've gotten calls from dad every day for the last week reminding me where I was suppose to be. You need to keep him away from the transponders or I'm going to start hanging up when he calls," Ann warns with a grin as Roger whines. "I have other people that I have to talk to, dad, you can't keep the line busy."

"Who are you talking to? You have me, Rayleigh, and Shanks," Roger says in confusion.

Ann smirks, "Maybe I got a job."

"Yeah right, you're an information broker, Princess, we all know it," Rayleigh laughs, patting her on the shoulder. "How was your trip?"

"I met someone!"

Roger stops, freezing in place suddenly as if made of stone, "What?"

"I met someone, we went on two dates and he called me this morning," Ann answers brightly. "He's really sweet and he doesn't care that I eat funny and he thinks I'm cute!"

"What?"

"Dad, are you okay?" Ann asks tilting her head back to look at him. "Do you need to sit down? Have you been in the sun too long?"

Roger whines, "You've been on a date?"

"Dad, I had a boyfriend before this, I've been on more than one date. How did you forget that? Should we call the doctor?"

"I think you broke him, Princess," Rayleigh says with a laugh. "He doesn't want to believe his little girl is all grown up. So tell me about this boy."

Ann bounces, smile stretching across her face, "He's tall, like dad's height, and we met because I agreed to help transport some fabric and I ran into him. He helped me carry it to my Striker and then he asked me to dinner."

"He wasn't mad that you ran into him?"

"No! And he didn't care that I ordered the whole menu and then," She blushes red. "When we agreed to have a breakfast date, he actually told the restaurant before hand that I would order everything and some of it was ready just after we arrived."

Rayleigh grins, "That's sweet."

"And he told me I was cute."

"You are cute."

Ann sticks her tongue out at him, "Like dateable cute? Not the family cute? He likes my freckles and he didn't care that I ate like a pig, or that I travel a lot. I think I might want to give him a chance."

Roger makes a strangled noise, collapsing onto the ground and staring up at Ann with wide eyes, "You don't need boys."

"You keep saying that, but I like boys. How did you ever get mom to like you if this is how you act?" Ann demands kneeling down to steal his hat, placing it jauntily on her own head, "Set sail! We have islands to check up on!"

Rayleigh grins as the crew scurries to obey her commands, "You always did get them moving," He shoves the hat into her face, "You're still a brat."

"You're still a cranky old man!" Ann sighs, "Come on, dad, let's get you out of the sun."

* * *

This takes place in an AU where Roger was never sick, but Rouge still died, in case anyone was curious. As for why no one knows about Ann, Roger strikes me as a rather over protective father and didn't want his daughter to be found out by anyone.

So this is probably just going to be a one shot, but there's a chance for a sequel if I ever figure out where to take this next.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

* * *

Sabo stares at Ann in confusion, wrapped up in her blankets until barely her head was visible, face buried into her pillow as she whines, "I'm dead. I'm so dead."

"You know, I have seen you in quite a few situations, but this, this is not one of them. Did you set a marine base on fire or something and get people looking into you?"

"I wouldn't be that stupid. I'm not you," She pauses. "Or my dad."

"I would never set a marine base on fire," Sabo says looking offended.

Ann twists to look at him, eyes narrowed, "You've set six, _six_ , marine bases on fire since we've met and that's not counting the one where you found your little brother was visiting, set it on fire, fought your grandfather, and then kidnapped the kid back here," She tilts her head. "Where is Luffy?"

"Bugging Dragon. Again." Sabo answers collapsing on her bed and leaning back against her. "Why are you dead?"

"You remember that guy?"

"That one that you were seeing this time last year? I do remember hearing vaguely about him before you stopped talking about him rather abruptly."

"We're still dating," Ann mumbles into her pillow.

"What," Sabo demands, elbowing her in the side.

"I stopped talking about him because I didn't want dad to do anything, you know how he is. I," She sighs. "I really like him, Sab. Really, _really_ like him."

Sabo sighs, "So you lied to everyone so that you could keep him from being found by your father. So?"

"He knows dad, not as my dad obviously, but as the Pirate King. I might have let him draw his own conclusions on some very, very vague facts. He thinks dad is a merchant."

"Ann!"

"I know!"

"What were you thinking? What if he says something to your dad?" Sabo pauses, something like horror flickering through his mind. "Ann, how does he know your dad?"

Ann is silent for a long moment before she finally says, "You have to promise to keep your mouth shut if I tell you. Please. Promise me?"

"Fine, I promise."

"On your pipe."

"How serious is this," Sabo demands. "Is this the kind of bad where we send you in to try and fix things before we reach a war?"

"Yeah," Ann sighs. "If this gets out before I get a chance to talk to him and to dad then there could be a war. Dad gets over protective, you saw how he was when I pretended to flirt with that Marine. He would have killed him if the old man hadn't turned up in time."

"Alright, I swear on my sea stone pipe that I will in no way reveal who you are dating to your father. That work for you?"

"His name is Marco."

Sabo nods slowly, "Marco, huh? Th-" He cuts himself off, twisting to stare at her in horror. "As in Edward Newgate's _first mate_? Phoenix Marco? You and Phoenix Marco?"

"Shut up," Ace hissed rolling them both off the bed and slamming Sabo onto the ground with her hands quickly coming up to cover his mouth. "Be quiet, do you want someone to overhear us and tell my dad? He'll murder Marco," She pulls her hands back making a face. "Gross, you're worse than Luffy," She states wiping her hands on his vest.

"Whitebeard's first mate?" Sabo hisses, voice high but quiet. "You decided to mess around with the second strongest man in the world's first mate?"

"I'm not messing around," Ann hisses back. "I like Marco. I really like him, Sabo. I," Ann pauses, sighing and biting her lower lip. "I'm in love with him."

"You couldn't have made this easy, could you?" Sabo mutters dropping an arm over his eyes. "Why do you do these things to me?" He sighs. "Alright, what are we going to do about this?"

"What?"

"Yeah, I know. I said I wasn't getting involved in any more of your stunts, but this one isn't really a stunt, so I'll help this time. And only this time. Don't start getting ideas about me doing more than this, this once."

Ann squeals, launching herself at Sabo and dragging him into a hug, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"You are going to owe me big time, Ann, you know that right?"

"I don't care! Thank you!" She grins as she drags them both upright. "I would even help you trick Koala into a date."

"I don't need to trick people into dating me! I'm a catch!"

"Is that the lie that Dragon is telling you telling you these days?" Ann teases. "I know he's like your dad but I didn't know that he had the whole 'lie to my children because I love them' thing that my dad's perfected."

"Your dad is an overprotective dick," Sabo states brushing off his clothes as he stood and straightening his cravat. "And I wouldn't have this much trouble convincing her to date me if she didn't seem to think I was dating you."

Ann makes a face, "That would be like dating Luffy."

"Most people remember the two week period when we pretended to date when we were fourteen because your dad kept insisting that you didn't need boys," Sabo says rolling his eyes. "Most of them think we pretended to stop because you were protecting me from Roger's wrath."

"That's silly, if you can't stand up to my dad then why would I date you?"

"Like this one?"

"I haven't told him who my dad is," Ann states snatching Sabo's hat off the floor and putting it on her own head. "There's a damn difference. It's like admitting you're part of the Revolutionary Army and admitting that you're it's damn second in command."

"Does he at least know what you do for a living? we've got some news that we should be giving them and you could deliver it."

"Sabo, this is me that we are talking about."

"So no," Sabo nods. "Well, we're still going to have you deliver this anyway. It's time sensitive and I don't want anything happening because we sent someone slower than you."

Ann sighs, handing him back his hat, "Fine. I'm going to steal Luffy and cuddle him while you get that file ready for me."

"I'll be quick, it's mostly together. You better not get into another food eating contest," Sabo says frowning at her. "Dragon yelled at me for the last one and I didn't even have anything to do with it."

"I don't know," Ann drawls. "I might want to out eat Luffy again while I can."

Sabo glares at her, "Go bug Luffy, you asshole, while I get everything ready for you."

"Sabo," Ann says, her bag over her shoulder and her hat in her hands. "Thanks for this. I really do want to keep Marco, he's nice and funny and he likes me."

"It's not that rare that people like you, Ann. I like you, Koala likes you, Luffy loves you."

"You didn't, not at first. I slammed into Marco and he offered to help me and then asked me to dinner. He asked me to breakfast after seeing me eat and even stopped by before we ate and asked them to start everything early. He does that every time we meet at a restaurant."

Sabo sighs, "Luffy at least loved you at first."

"Luffy's an idiot," Ann mutters. "Now get, I want to say goodbye to Luffy."

"I'm getting," Sabo laughs leaving, tugging his hat down to cover his face as he turned the corner, hurrying to his office to get the file together, collapsing into his chair with a sigh.

Ann was always, always confused when people liked her and she wasn't wrong when she said that no one loved her first, at least not counting her father and Luffy. He had hated her and Koala had thought her rude, he could only imagine the people that weren't close with her father would think of the daughter of the Pirate King. The Marines would kill her if they learned she existed beyond Garp.

And if Phoenix Marco broke her heart, well, Dragon wouldn't mind him taking a handful of people to make sure Phoenix knew exactly whose sister he had left heartbroken.

He might even bring Luffy.

* * *

Marco stares at the Ann as she sits on the railing of the Moby Dick, her hat on her head and on hand holding the strap of her bag. She smiles nervously the second she catches sight of him but glances past him to Whitebeard.

"Portgas D Ann with information from the Revolutionary Army for Edward Newgate, permission to approach?"

"Portgas," Whitebeard says raising an eyebrow. "It's been a long while since I heard that name. Come here then."

Ann bounces closer but Marco has long since gotten use to spotting the nerves that she tries to hide, the way her knuckles go white and her eyes watch everyone so much more closely than usual. They're all tells and Marco's learned them all, even if Ann hasn't used them when dealing with him in a while.

"I know that name," Whitebeard says calmly. "Though usually, Marco is talking about you."

"He would, he's my boyfriend. I was actually coming by to see him but my little brother asked me to drop this off and I couldn't turn him down when he asked," Ann smiles and Marco frowns at the way it falters. "Unless you have something else for me, I would like to talk to Marco, please."

Whitebeard nods, "You know, I remember a woman named Portgas. She was a smart woman, kind and a spy if I remember her rightly."

"My mother," Ann says softly, her hands shaking.

"She was an amazing woman, Ann."

"Thank you."

Marco steps forward the moment that Ann gets close enough, ushering her down the stairs and into his cabin, her shoulders shaking slightly even with his arm around them. She closes the door softly, barely stepping into the room before her gaze goes to her feet.

"You want answers."

"I would like them," Marco admits. "If you can give them to me. Information broker for the Revolutionary Army seems far different from an idle life of luxury."

Ann snorts, even if she still looks nervous, "I learned at a young age that I had to lie and if I did tell the truth that it would mean death. Dad made sure that I understood that Death would be the best I could hope for."

"Ann?"

"And I like you. Really, really like you and no one ever likes me, not like you did, not right away. I just, I wanted to keep that to myself, just for a little while and then it just…"

"You were scared."

"I was scared," Ann agrees. "You're important to me and I don't want to lose you. No one likes me after they learn about me."

Marco tilts his head, "I like you. I love you, Ann."

"I love you too, that's why I was scared. I'm still scared, but you want to meet my family and to do that I have to start talking to you about them."

"You're scared."

Ann nods, "I told you, most people find out who I am and hate me."

"I could never hate you, Ann."

"You know my dad," Ann says after a long moment, her hands buried in her pockets. "You've known him for years before I was even born."

'I've known a number of people that long, Ann."

"Roger, Gol D Roger."

Marco raises an eyebrow, "The Pirate King?"

"My dad."

Marco stares at her for a long moment before laughing. Ann shifts nervously.

"Marco?"

"The one woman I would fall in love with would be Roger's daughter," Marco says shaking his head. "But that doesn't change anything, Ann. I'm still in love with you. Upset you didn't tell me and nervous about meeting your father, but still in love with you."

Ann smiles shyly, "You do?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you," Marco asks holding out a hand to her and tugging her closer when she puts one of her's into his. "I love you." He kisses the tip of her nose. "I love you." He kisses the corner of her mouth. "I love you."

"I love you too," Ann says kissing him softly.

"Good because your father might kill me."

"Dad isn't going to kill you, he's just going to be upset."

"At me. For dating his daughter."

Ann laughs, "Dad won't kill you and I'll protect you, I like you best alive."

"Good, because I like being alive too."

* * *

This was suppose to be a one shot, it really was, but this happened. Ann is an information broker that works mostly for the Revolutionary Army as a freelancer.


End file.
